Soul Calibur II Press Event

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"I'm going in for some hands-on time," says Kaiser.

By Kaiser Hwang

Yesterday, Namco invited a swell group of us press folk over to Shanghai 1930 in downtown San Francisco for some free food and drink, and more importantly, some quality time with a little game called Soul Calibur II. Perhaps you've heard of it?

After driving through some minor rush hour traffic, I finally arrive at the restaurant -- a posh, upscale Chinese restaurant near the bay. After snacking on some vegetarian budda buns and spring rolls, I stroll by each of the eight or so televisions running the game. All three versions looked remarkably similar. In fact, I actually had to glance down to see what system the game was running on. They really do look almost identical.

Visually, Soul Calibur II definitely looks better than the original Soul Calibur with smoother, more detailed character models, more sophisticated environments, and just more overall polish, but the jump from Soul Calibur II to Soul Calibur is not as great as one would expect. It's quite surprising how well the Dreamcast game holds up to the new game.

After getting a good amount of play time with each console version of the game, I came away with mixed feelings. In terms of new characters, Link definitely felt and played the best. He's quick, strong, and even has several projectile attacks. I overheard many people say that he was almost too powerful. Is he? Probably not, but it's tough to tell without knowing every characters strengths and weaknesses. Using the Gamecube controller was also a mixed affair. While one could certainly learn to use the GCN controller, the small d-pad and awkward button configuration made it the one with the biggest learning curve. Simply put, the GCN controller just doesn't feel natural when playing fighting games.

Next came the PS2 version. As mentioned before, the PS2 game looked almost identical to the GCN version and Xbox versions. Where the PS2 game had an advantage was in the controls. The Dual Shock controller felt most suited for Soul Calibur II's style of fighting. Also, as most of you already know, Heihachi from Tekken is the PS2's exclusive character, and frankly, he was my least favorite of the console-specific characters. Why? First off, he has no real weapon. This is supposed to be a Soul Calibur game, isn't it? While dealing a good deal of damage, his range was incredibly short, and he just felt heavy and unresponsive.

Finally I work my way to the Xbox version. I expected it to look the best, and it does, but the differences are so trivial and insignificant that it's almost not worth mentioning. Concerning the controls, the Xbox controller falls somewhere between the GCN and PS2 controllers. While the S-controller features a good d-pad and button placement, the controller always felt a little stiff and the d-pad is set a little too far into the body for my tastes. The big, hulky original Xbox controller actually felt a little better, but its buttons are so close together that it made pulling out combos a little difficult.

Like the Xbox controls, the Xbox-only character Spawn falls somewhere in between Link and Heihaci. He feels better than the Tekken veteran, but falls slightly short of the Hyrulian's responsiveness. I also couldn't figure out any moves that would incorporate his symbiotic suit and chains, which was a shame. Still, Spawn proved himself as a decent fighter in the Soul Calibur universe.

The other Tod McFarlane-created character in the game, Necrid, was somewhat of a disappointment. His visual design is too much of a contrast from the rest of the characters, and what's up with the big jewel on his chest? In terms of playability, Necrid falls in the stronger but slower category of characters. And although I did my fair share of butt-kicking with him, he still feels more like a filler character than anything else.

With all of the other people at the event, it was hard for me to work through any of the single-player modes, including the Weapon Master mode. I did see someone beat the game with Link, though, and as is Soul Calibur tradition, Inferno was the final character. Unfortunately, Inferno, who's had quite a visual makeover since his last appearance, is not a playable character in the game. Also like the previous game, the character endings consisted of little more than a few hand drawn images. When will the Soul Calibur series get the rendered endings that it deserves?

From my time with the game, Soul Calibur II felt like a deserving sequel. The game plays faster and smoother, and it certainly looks and sounds better its predecessor. I was sad to see some of my favorite characters missing, and the console-specific characters were a little underwhelming, but that didn't detract from the fun I was having while defending my thirteen win winning streak.

After playing all versions of the game for several hours, it was finally time to head out and go home. Well, maybe not home, but definitely out of the restaurant. On my way out, Namco's loving PR representatives handed me a super-koosh Soul Calibur II hooded jacket, and to my surprise, they actually had mediums! Now I can finally sleep warm at night in my non-heated apartment.

Thanks to Namco for inviting IGN to their wonderful Soul Calibur II event.